TIMELINE: Two Years in Hyperlocal

On the occasion of our second anniversary, we took a look at the events in hyperlocal since we launched in 2011. Then: All Groupon all the time. Now: Not so much. The evolution of the hyperlocal landscape charts the same path as any new industry, beginning with the pioneers who take risks to prove a model; replications on the idea; consolidation and contraction; entrenchment of the ideas and business models; and legacy companies who buy or build their way in.

It’s still the wild west, and we’ll host discussions and presentations on the radical changes currently taking place in hyperlocal at our upcoming Street Fight Summit West 2013.

This is a terrific infographic – amazing job! I think what is most revealing about it is that ‘hyperlocal’ is now considered a ‘landscape,’ and the ‘players’ of note are well-funded technology start-ups (foursquare, groupon) and goliath brands (Apple, AT&T Interactive). However, none of them are truly rooted in the communities they serve the way hyperlocal blogs and websites are, and I would respectfully like to suggest that this is where the real street fight continues to take place. It’s about the turf wars between authenticity and big money scale; it’s about the fight to maintain relevance and revenue within the communities that hyperlocal publishers serve as pillars. Certainly, these larger tech companies represent new, exciting (but not necessarily better) ways to target hyperlocally — and I think it is only good news that ‘hyperlocal’ has evolved into a well-recognized advertising category. I’m just determined that the pioneers of this marketplace – and attention to the solutions that companies (like the one I work for) are working so hard to provide them – not get lost in the … shuffle.

Especially the second October 2012 event strikes me as ultimately realistic 🙂
Good infographic, but if anybody finds the time to put more details in it, this would be lovely. Maybe you could open it up and get it filled through the wisdom of the hyperlocal crowds.